Reversible four-cycle engine.



LKEISTER. REVERSIBLE FOUR-CYCLE ENGINE,

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8. 1917- I ,7

Patented Aug. 14, 1917,

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS JAMES KEISTER, OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO.

REVERSIBLE FoUacYcLE ENGINE Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug; 191 7 Application filed June 8, 1917. Serial No. 173,520.

To all 'ufilwm it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES Knrs'rnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Steubenville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Reversible Four-Cycle Engine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to four-cycle engines of that type which includes a reciprocatory sleeve valve in the cylinder and surrounding the piston'for controlling the inlet of the fuel charges and the outlet of the exhaust gases, such. an engine being shown in United States Letters Patent 1,144,208, granted to me June 22, 1915. I

The object of the present invention is to so improve an engine of this character'thau it can be easily reversed. this being accomplished by controlling the circuit breaker of the ignition system.

A more specific objectof the invention is to provide ports in the sleeve valve in such relation to the ports in the engine cylinder that the ports are thrown into or outof reg- .ister simultaneously and automatic check valves are arranged in the inlet and outlet conduits, and in combination with this arrangement of ports and valves is used an ordinary circuit breaker which is so manipulated that the times of ignition can be adjusted to cause the engine to be reversed.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description pro ceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of an engine, showing the piston on its suction stroke; and 7 Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of the circuit breaker, showing the different positions for forwardand reverse running.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the engine cylinder having a rentrant head 1 and the walls of the cylinder. are provided a with inlet and exhaust ports 2 and 3 respectively. In the inlet conduit 4 is a check valve 5 of any suitable form which opens toward the engine sothat the fuel mixture line while the lines 5 and c are the two can flow to the cylinder. An exhaust conduit 6 connected with the port 3 has a suit able check valve 7 which opens outwardly or away from'the engine cylinder. Slidable in the cylinder is a sleeve valve 8 which is 1') -ovided'at diametrically opposite points with ports 9 and 10 which are adapted simultaneously to register with the ports 2 and 3. In the sleeve valve is the piston 11 connected by a rod 12 with the crank pin 13 of the crank shaft- 14. The crank shaft is connected by a half speed reduction trans mission 15 with a crank 16 that is connected by a link 17 with the sleeve valve 8 so as to reciprocate the same in timed relation with the piston. v

\Vhen the piston moves outwardly. as shown in Fig. 1. the fuel charge is drawn in through the check valve which automatically opens. the suction operating on the check valve 7 to hold the same closed. ()n' the next in stroke the charge will be compressed, since in the meantime the sleeve valve will close the ports 2 and 3 by the 39 ports 9 and 10 passing out of registry therewith. After the charge is compressed the spark plug 18 ignites the charge and the exploded gases force the piston outwardly.

At the end of this out stroke the sleeve valve 35 8 bringsits ports" 9 and 10 into registry with the ports 2 and 3. so that the exhaust gases can be forced by the inwardly-moving piston out through the ports 10 and 3 and past the valve 7, the valve 5 being held seated by the pressure of the exhaust gases thereon.

The circuit breaker (Figs. 2 and includes a cam 19, which in the usual manner is operatively connected with the crank shaft and it engages a roller 20 on the pivoted arm 21 which carries a contact 2-2 engageable with the contact 23. This contact 23 is mounted ona carrier 24 formed with.

an arm '25 which"isoperatively connected with the controlling lever-of the engine. The neutral or dead central position of the circuit maker is indicated by the dotted different running positions.

When the engine is running in a clockwise direction the spark may be advanced by moving the lever 25 toward 6, thereby giving the engine greater velocity and efli- 1m ciency. When the engine is thus running it can be reversed .by moving the lever 25 from an advanced spark position toward the position so to retard the engine, and now the lever is quickly moved toward Z). egevin, which will so advance the snarl: that the engine will reverse. To the engine in an anti-clockwise direc tion "from s state of rest the lever is placed at position Z), andthe engine started in, the conventional Way. Vfhen the enginesider to the best embodiment thereof, I

desire to lieve it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes he made when desired as fell within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 cieini as new end desire secure by Letters LE stent:

l. in an engine, the combination of a cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports, a sleeve velve in the cylinder and having ports adapted simultaneously to register with the first-mentioned ports, a piston in the sleeve valve, operating connections between the piston; and valve for moving the valve at half the speed of the piston, a check valve at the inlet port and opening toward the cyl inder, end a check valve at the exhaust port and opening away from the cylinder.

2. In an engine, the combination of a cyl inder having inlet and exhaust ports, a sleeve valve in the cylinder and having ports adapted simultaneously to register with the first-mentioned ports, av piston in the sleeve valve, operating connections hetiveen the piston and valve for moving the valve at half the speed of the piston, a check valve zit'the inlet port and opening toward the cylinder, and a check valve at the exhaust port and opening away from the cylinder,

with a circuit breaker operatively connectedwith the engine, and an ignition device whereby the engine may be reversed, accelerated or reterded in either direction.

3. The combination of a oylinder having ports at dieri'ietrically opposite points for the admission and exhaust respectively, a sleeve valve having ports at diametrically opposite goints, check valves for the admission and exhaust ports, respectively, a' piston in the sleeve valve, and an operating connection for moving the ports of the sleeve valve into and out of registrv with the ports of the cylinder.

JAMES KEISTER. 

